Pandora: The Southern Water Tribe
by BlondeIntellectual
Summary: When Ozai's mining company sets its sights on the Southern Water Tribe for the stone that the natives use to make engagement necklaces, Zuko must convince the natives to move off their land so that the company can access the treasure. But when he meets the beautiful Katara, who teaches him of her people's ways, will he be able to do what it takes to get his honor back? Zutara
1. Chapter 1

I am a die-hard, unapologetic Zutara shipper. If you don't agree with this ship, you don't have to read my story. But I would appreciate it if you did. ;)

Rated T for some language and possibly some other things in the future…

Characters are three years older than they were in the cartoon.

The Fire Nation is a democracy, so Ozai is not Fire Lord. However, he is still one of the most powerful men in the country because of his financial standing, which is a result of the mining company he owns.

This is my first ever fanfic period. So please rate and review and let me down gently if I have any mistakes. :)

Chapter 1

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Azula was the smart one. I'm just the failure of a son who couldn't do anything better than be a warrior. Ex-warrior. No one had any more use for me, not with my injury. At least, until now. Now, I'm stuck on a ship with a band of other highly trained so-called warriors (actually more like hired muscle for my father's company) sent to explore the Southern Water Tribe in search of some rare stone everyone back home in the Fire Nation has been raving about. A single pebble is worth more than a thousand fire rubies back there. Why am I needed? Diplomacy, supposedly. That's what Azula was working for. She was supposed to be the bridge between the Fire Nation and the Water Tribe Natives. They were rumored to be tough, hardened people. They had to be, considering they lived in one of the most hellish environments known to man. Miles of ice, surrounded by freezing ocean. And in the middle of it all, the precious stone they make their home above. Azula, who was meant to create friendly relations with them, was murdered in cold blood for the money in her pocket on one of her rare trips home. What a waste. She was a genius. My younger sister became a prodigy at almost anything she tried. She was a natural at fire-bending, having learned to bend lightning at the age of 8. It was a no-brainer that my father would choose her to represent his company in the Southern Water Tribe. Me, I could never do anything right, not even bending. He had encouraged me to become a warrior in the Fire Nation military to make up for my lack of skill in bending. But after I was hurt, he refused to acknowledge me, even went so far as to publicly humiliate me, burning the left side of my face so badly I had to wear a bandage for a month. The scar it left, which spanned from my eye all the way into my hairline, was now my most defining feature. Then he told me to leave. I was 16. It's been three years since I packed my things and became some kind of purposeless wanderer. Now, things are changing. With Azula gone, his only choice for the face of diplomacy is mine. Ironic, since my face is marred forever with resentment and disappointment. Regardless, I am the only person who could fill Azula's shoes. My father told me, if I do this right, and I can retrieve the expected amount of the stone, I can restore my honor, my respect in his eyes.

I woke up this morning feeling extremely cold. One of the crew for the ship came in to let us know we were about a day out from the Water Tribe. No wonder the air was freezing. I could see my breath and I couldn't seem to wrap my blankets tight enough around myself to keep warm. I finally had to resort to using my inner flame. Calling forth my chi, I forced my body temperature to increase, though in this amount of cold, it was difficult. Looking back, I realized that it had slowly been getting cooler and dryer, but this was crazy. I have no idea how I'm going to last this way, not if I'd have to maintain my chi at this level to keep myself warm.

The next day, I could see land from the deck of the huge metal ship. Or ice, I suppose. From where I stood, it was just a white sliver on the horizon of the never-ending ocean. But as we got closer, it started to split into tiny white peaks. Soon, though, I realized those peaks weren't tiny at all. They were rather formidable actually. We approached one of the mountains of ice and it towered over the ship, as if warning us against the environment we were entering. I forgot about the cold as I marveled at the natural architecture seemingly floating in the water. We would have to navigate through this forest of icebergs to get to our destination, which, as I squinted ahead, appeared to be basically a mammoth version of the icy mountains we were passing. I took a deep breath and braced myself for what was to come. I had no idea what I was getting myself into... Oo-rah.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

The Water Tribe harbor was bustling with activity as company employees hurried to unload supplies and hired warriors kept watch of the border between the Fire Nation settlement and the wild white abyss of the unknown. I limped carefully down the gangplank, my injured hip acting up more than usual because of the freezing weather. I was aware of the stares of others around me, knowing what they were thinking in their minds. "Why did they send someone like that?" "How long do you think he'll last, huh?" "Not more than a full day in the wilderness, that's for sure." I stared down each individual, not allowing myself to appear weak, and dared them to question my usefulness. All of them looked away and avoided my eyes. When I finally got to the briefing tent that was set up at the end of the dock, everyone else was already seated. Cursing my slowness, I quietly found a seat in the back and trained my ears to hear the informative speech. "I am here to keep you all alive," drawled the muscular man with huge sideburns. He must be in charge of the Warriors, I observed. "I will not succeed," he continued. "Not with all of you." Great, real encouraging... "But if you follow a few basic rules, you might just have a chance in this hellhole." He continued to inform us about the rules for survival as well as basic intel on the wilderness, the terrain, and most importantly, the natives. "They are very difficult to kill," he stated, staring us all down. I ignored the shiver that ran down my spine as I noticed the three parallel marks that ran from his cheekbone over his ear and into his hairline. I guess we had something in common. When he at last allowed us to leave to find our bunks, I felt even more unnerved than before. But if this was what I had to go through to restore my honor, then so be it.

As I walked to my next briefing early in the morning, I moved with more determination in my step. I limped less, though my hip still protested. I entered the structure for diplomatic relations with the conviction that I would finally earn my father's respect. I thought back to my one-on-one with the warrior leader. Admiral Zhao, I had learned. Shortly after I had gotten settled in my bunk area, he had summoned me. He had told me I was to report directly to him, even though I technically worked for the diplomatic relations department. I was to give him useable intel on the natives so that if push came to shove, he would know exactly how to get them to move off their pile of the precious stone so that the company could access it. Knowing that this may be the only way to restore my honor, I had readily agreed. He had even told me that in exchange, he would pay for a healer to repair my damaged hip. A strong, commanding voice snapped me back to the present. Uncle Iroh, I thought to myself. He was as eccentric as ever, yelling for someone to bring him his tea as he sat comfortably with his hands resting on his sizeable belly. I smiled slightly as I remembered I was to work under him. This would be interesting. His sharp eyes landing on me, he smiled, a broad welcoming smile, opened his arms and stood to walk briskly towards me. "Aaaahhh my nephew, how good to see you after so long! It is about time you joined us, we could use your influence here." I was surprised by his words, expecting the brother of my father, Ozai, to have as low expectations of me as he. Then again, he had always been more of an accepting person. I approached hesitantly, but he wrapped his arms around me in a huge bear hug, the smile never leaving his face. I was nearly pulled off my feet till I was at last able to extract myself from his grip. "It is good to see you, Zuko," he said more seriously, then, "Come, there is much to be done and so little time!" He pulled me over to a row of wooden chests. As I passed each one, I noted that they had labels on them. The one on the very end had Azula's name. I paused as I looked at it and contemplated her legacy. I had always harbored resentment towards her for being better at everything and always having father's favor. And she had not helped, having often lorded it over me and gloating that she was just better in general. She was a compulsive liar, which made her good at what she did here, telling the natives that we were not here to invade, but to learn and to teach. Just like the natives of the Southern Water Tribe, I always fell for her lies. But as I looked upon her name etched into the label on the chest, I couldn't help but feel sadness. She was my sister after all, and there had been a time when we had had some semblance of sibling companionship. But that was back when we didn't feel the need to compete for father's approval. Uncle stepped up beside me, placing a hand on my shoulder. "It is a true tragedy, my nephew. I am sorry for your loss." I looked at him blankly and nodded. Then I asked, "How do I follow in her footsteps, Uncle? She was the only one for this job." "Zuko..." Uncle Iroh said in a chastising tone, "though you sister was very capable, I am not certain she had a full understanding of diplomacy. You, on the other hand, with your compassion and understanding could help the diplomatic relations department a great deal. You may not realize it yet, but you have much potential." I listened, confused by his words. Potential? Compassion? Oh, he must mean the compassion that I snuffed out the moment I realized it was weakness to my father. I turned away from him. "I'm going to make my father respect me again. I'm going to get that rock for him. And get my honor back." I heard Uncle sigh behind me, though I couldn't fathom why. He worked for my father too, and isn't that damn rock the whole reason we were there? After a moment of silence, he spoke again. "Come, open Azula's chest. It contains the supplies you will need to survive in this weather." I did as he said. Folded up inside it was a thick blue coat lined with wool accompanied by matching pants, and gloves and boots. "They were too big for Azula and the outer layers are gender neutral in the Water Tribe," Uncle explained. So this was Water Tribe apparel then. I wrinkled my nose. I had no interest in dressing like them, but it was apparently policy in this department that in order to develop friendly relationships, we had to adhere to their customs. There was also a knife that appeared to be carved out of bone. It was wrapped in leather and had some other language etched into the hilt. It was meant to fit inside the boots, I could tell. I reluctantly pulled on the clothing over what I already had on and noticed immediately that, though they restricted movement a bit, they provided warmth that I had only before dreamed of in this harsh environment. I stifled a sigh of contentment as I ceased calling on my inner flame and allowed my body temperature to return to normal. While I was dressing, Uncle Iroh gave me a run-down of what my duties were as Azula's replacement. Tomorrow, I would accompany him and some of the employees from the environmental department to explore the terrain and attempt to learn more about the wilderness of the Southern Water Tribe. I was just looking forward to actually doing something.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

I had to wake up at the break of dawn the next day. I was used to getting up early though, and was able to ease out of my bunk quickly, despite my hip giving me grief. Damn my injury. It was going to cause issues. I met Uncle and his subordinates outside the debriefing tent. "At last," he said with an eager grin, "We can get something accomplished. Zuko, this is Mai, our mechanical expert. She will be driving us where we need to go." The woman he referred to acknowledged me with a nod, face devoid of any emotion. "And this is Ty Lee, environmentalist extraordinaire. Ladies, this is Zuko, Azula's replacement and our new diplomatic relations partner." "Hi!" Squeaked Ty Lee, "It's so nice to meet you! But soooo unfortunate that we had to meet under these circumstances! We all miss Azula." She finished, looking rather downtrodden, though I somehow felt that that expression did not often grace her features. "Nice to meet you both," I said, and confirming my earlier thought, Ty Lee's face transformed and she beamed with a smile that I thought might split her face in half. Agni help me...

With introductions out of the way, Uncle marched off. His pace was brisk and the two women seemed to have trouble keeping up, though they had no injuries. I, however, would not admit weakness and ask him to slow down. I was tall, so I could rely on my long stride to keep up well enough. Despite this, though, I still was last in the procession, following a yard or two behind the others. We came to a clearing full of fire nation machinery. My uncle approached a small black tank, clearly meant for rough terrain. We climbed aboard, and with a muttered "Hold on tight" from Mai and a shrill "Eep!" from Ty Lee, the engine roared to life and the vehicle lurched forward. In a whirl of white powder, we were off into the unknown. I steeled myself for my first real experience in the Water Tribe. Looking out the window as we zoomed along, I noticed the subtle changes of the terrain. Remaining as white as ever, the ground began to appear more jagged and in some areas and softer in others. The snow atop the ice became deeper, less packed down by machinery and footprints. The ice formations grew taller and more forbidding. The further in we went, the taller the ice mountains became, making it harder and harder to navigate, drawing us closer to the single mammoth peak that the natives called home. I hoped we wouldn't run into any of them on this excursion.

After what seemed like hours, Uncle requested that Mai stop the vehicle. When the doors hissed open, a gust of numbingly cold air whooshed in to greet me. I found myself shivering despite the new Water Tribe clothing that was considerably more insulated that my own. HOW could it be colder than it already was?! I screamed inside my head. I scowled at Uncle as if the weather were his fault and pulled the hood of my coat over my head to keep my face warm. Now, not only was my hip protesting the cold, but my scar was as well. Just what I needed. Mai announced that she would be staying with the tank. Nodding, uncle took the lead, trudging ahead in a rather jolly manner, which Ty Lee imitated. My scowl deepened. There was no need for such cheerfulness on this crazy venture. As we set out into the white expanse, I wondered, not for the first time (nor the last, I expected), just what I had gotten myself into.

Uncle led us between two small ice peeks and out into a clearing of glasslike ice. It seemed there was not a single blemish upon the surface. In addition, I could see through some areas to the water below. Rather unnerved by this, I stepped back a few paces. "Now now, Zuko, there is no need for caution," Uncle chuckled, noticing my discomfort. "The ice is quite thick here. It will hold your weight." Then, leaning towards Ty Lee, "It holds mine, after all." She giggled, a very high pitched sound to my ears and covered her mouth daintily with her hand. "Oh, Iroh, you are just too much." It was an uphill battle to stifle my gag reflex. Addressing both of us, Uncle began, "It is actually the thickness of this ice for which we are here. You see, we are going to measure the depth from the surface above to the water below. You will find out just how safe it is to stand upon this ice." He grinned, clearly enjoying himself. He opened the bag of equipment he had brought with him from the tank and started to rummage through it, finally pulling out a two-foot long pole, which had a sharp point on one end. Driving the end into the ground, he flipped a switch and the end started drilling through the dense ice. As it went, it began extending, becoming three feet long, then four, and continuing further down until I could no longer see it through the ice. When at last it broke through, uncle commanded, "Miss Ty Lee, please retrieve the measuring stick." She quickly did as she was told, reaching into the bag and pulling out an extendible rod with length markings on it. She then helped uncle insert it into the hole in place of the drill he had retracted. When they pulled it back up, the thickness of the ice measured five feet and two inches. "Incredible," uncle murmured. Ty Lee flitted about in excitement. "how can it be that deep, even though we can see all the way through it at some points?!" "My dear, and this is one of the shallowest points of the entire Southern Water Tribe!" They continued to excitedly chatter amongst themselves, while I grew bored. I was not remotely interested in the depth of the ice in this clearing or of the whole Water Tribe. I turned and started to wander, knowing that they would still be there awhile. I rounded the bend of a small ice peak, running my gloved hand over the jagged surface, then stopped short at the sight before me.


	4. Chapter 4

Sorry there hasn't been much action in the last few chapters. Had to establish the setting, and also follow the plot of Avatar (the movie about the blue people, not the airbender) as best I could. More interesting stuff happening in the next few chapters, I promise. Also, there will be Zutara soon. Please take a moment to review! It would mean a lot to me.

Chapter 4

About three yards in front of me, there was a series of wide holes bored into the ice by something. Each one was big enough to fit a komodo rhino and there were so many of them that they spanned a vast distance of clear ice similar to what Uncle and Ty Lee were studying. That wasn't what caught my attention though. Sitting around the holes, dipping their heads into the water to catch fish, were massive creatures that resembled elephants with flippers. One of which was only a few paces away from me and was staring me right in the face. Before I could back away or do anything, it opened its drooping maw and bellowed. The immense noise nearly knocked me off my feet and alerted Uncle and Ty Lee to danger. They both came running to where I stood, eyes wide. Ty Lee quickly scampered back behind the ice hill, but Uncle stayed by my side, just slightly behind me. "Don't move, Nephew," he whispered. "These are elephant-seals and they are territorial. It is only threatening you, but if you run, it will charge." "Okay. Yeah. Makes sense." I hissed back, trying to keep eye contact with the elephant seal. It bellowed again, then made some noise deep in its throat and lowered its gigantic head. I took a bending stance, willing myself to stand my ground. If it attacked, I had my fire, as well as the Water Tribe knife in my boot. The great beast lurched forward suddenly, roaring and pushing off its massive flippers. I crouched lower and let out a war cry, fire springing to my hands. After a long, tense moment, the creature suddenly relented and began to move away, as did all the others. I smirked in victory and relaxed my stance, snuffing out the fire in my palms. But my ears perked up and my eyes widened as I heard a deep rumbling from behind me. The hairs on my neck stood on end as I slowly swiveled to catch sight of the blindingly white, cat-like brute crouched on one of the icy hills behind us. I vaguely noted the tiny squeak from Ty Lee from behind her little ice dune.

The creature was smaller than the elephant seals, but clearly more muscular and athletic. Not to mention considerably larger than me. It leapt from its perch, clearing both me and Uncle, landing near one of the holes in the ice. Its electric blue eyes trained on the retreating elephant seals and it roared, a numbing, ground-shaking sound. Then it slowly turned its gaze to me. Keeping my eyes on it, I asked Uncle, "What about this one, huh? Stay still, run, fire-bend?" As the beast started slinking towards me, Uncle yelled, "Run, definitely run!" I took off like a madman, ignoring the protest in my mind that told me I should stand and fight. I knew I had no chance against it, I couldn't generate a fire blast large enough to do much damage against an animal like that. Soon, however, my hip made it painfully obvious to me that I didn't have much chance running, either, especially considering how fast this cat thing was. I calculated that my best chance at survival was to find a place to hide, and quickly. Dodging one of its massive paws, I dove towards a mound of ice, hoping for a crevice to hide in. I found one almost immediately and wiggled my way into it, but the white fiend smashed through the wall of ice between us with one swipe from its claws. I ducked as shards of ice flew in every direction, protecting my face with one arm and scrambling to get away from the creature's teeth. I managed to escape on the other side of the crevice and sprinted away, desperate to put some distance between myself and the blue-eyed hunter. Following the path of a ravine between two mountains of ice, I could hear the pounding of its paws and its enraged roar as it realized I had escaped. My hip screamed in protest as I pushed myself to run faster. I knew I couldn't last much longer. This was the most I had exerted myself since my injury and I could tell that I was reaching the limit. I ground my teeth and ignored the pain as I continued to push myself. But my heart dropped into my stomach as I rounded a bend and slid to a stop before a dead end. The two mountains met in a jagged and formidable wall of ice. There was nowhere to hide and my hip was about to give out. I whirled as the cat rounded the corner. It slowly made its way towards me, seeming to sense its victory and wanting to enjoy it. In a final act of desperation, I turned and leapt toward the cliff, clinging to the slight divots and sharp protrusions just as the animal pounced for me. I was gambling on the hope that the creature's weight would not allow it to climb after me. I hurried to lift myself up further, relying completely on upper body strength since my injured leg was now useless. Having missed its first pounce, the beast growled in irritation and coiled its muscles, preparing for a second attack. By this time, I was considerably high above the ground and still moving upward, though my arms were burning and my gloved hands were struggling for decent grips. It hurdled upwards, its claws making contact with the ice right below my feet, taking a swipe at one of my boots. A single hooked nail sinking into the boot and grazing my skin below. Afraid that it would pull me off the cliff face, I kicked, the boot falling off my foot and hitting the creature in the muzzle, causing it to lose its grip on the ice. It fell backwards, but managed to twist around to land safely on its feet. Infuriated, it turned its piercing gaze on me once more. _Agni_ , I thought to myself, _save me_. I clambered up the icy cliff even further and it jumped a third time with a great roar. This time, when its great mass slammed against the cliff face, I heard a loud _crack_. Blocks of ice started to dislodge from one another below me and I started to feel my grip slipping as the shards I clung to started to shake. I shimmied to the side, then continued up and out of the way of the unstable ice. The entire section that I had been climbing tumbled down on top of the white beast, while I finally pulled myself up and over the top of the cliff. I rolled over onto my back, panting with relief and exhaustion, listening to the sound of the remaining ice crumbling down the cliff. Finally catching my breath, I chanced a peek over the edge to see the fate of the white cat beast. Unsurprisingly, it was relatively unharmed. It stood up from the rubble, shook itself off and started pacing at the base of the precipice, growling with frustration deep in its throat. I ducked away quickly, not wanting to give it incentive to come after me again. I needn't have worried, though. I could hear it start to walk away, I suppose having decided that I wasn't worth the trouble. I let out a breath and collected myself. I assessed my physical condition, quickly coming to the conclusion that I was in bad shape. My hip refused to acknowledge my commands, making my right leg useless, and my arms and hands were shaking from overexertion. In addition, I was missing a boot. My foot, though still covered in a sock, was starting to go numb from the cold and the heel was bleeding from where the beast's claw had scratched it. Hating to admit it, I realized that I was basically helpless on my own. I had to place my hope in one of two options: either my uncle and Ty Lee would find me soon, or one of the Water Tribe natives would come along and be willing to assist me. Examining my surroundings, my confidence in the first option plummeted. I was nowhere near where we had been and that creature did not leave any trace of itself despite its massive size, so they had no way to track me. Furthermore, I was on much higher ground than they and hidden behind two large peaks of ice, which even I could not see past. My final deduction was, I would either be found by a native, possibly helped by them, but more likely killed, or I would die out here of exposure.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

As my hope in the possibility of getting rescued diminished with every passing minute, I realized that it was not smart of me to sit here forever. I was very exposed to the elements atop this crag and the wind was starting to pick up, drawing dark and ominous clouds towards me. Groaning, I forced myself to stand, testing my weight on my injured hip. I was in a great deal of pain, but I knew I had no choice but to move. My heel had stopped bleeding, but the whole foot was still numb from the cold. I clenched my jaw and willed myself to ignore my body's signals to me and forced my feet forward. I needed to seek shelter before that storm arrived, but it seemed I didn't have much time. I slowly shuffled onward, struggling through patches of deep snow and toothed areas of ice. Though I couldn't feel anything, I could tell my bootless foot was taking a beating. The wind was howling around me and the air grew chiller. Soon, I was surrounded by flurries of snow, which became tiny, biting, freezing knives of frost. Covering my face with both arms, I pushed through the storm, desperately trying to see in order to find some kind of shelter. At last, I stumbled into a cave of sorts, made entirely of ice and snow. Its walls resembled glass or facets on a diamond. But I did not acknowledge the beauty, merely slumping against one of the walls in relief and utter exhaustion, listening absentmindedly to the sound of the air whistling past the opening of the cavern. Before I knew it, my eyelids had slid shut and my awareness faded to nothing.

My eyes snapped open and my heart started racing when I heard scraping and rustling somewhere to my left, deeper in the cave. I looked back and could see nothing. It was pitch black. I turned my head to look out at the opening and it was completely dark out there as well. I didn't realize I had slept so long. I hurried to my feet, my ears and eyes trained for any new sound or movement. Another scrape and then a flutter. I whirled to face the back of the cave and cursed myself for not thinking to check it before I had fallen asleep. I heard another noise and my ears strained to pick up the exact direction from whence it was coming. It seemed as if whatever was moving came from somewhere above, not ground level. I didn't want to be too hasty to assume that I was being threatened, but I knew that I couldn't take any chances, so I lit a flame in one palm. As soon as I did so, hundreds of pairs of gleaming yellow eyes stared back at me, accompanied by hissing and more scratching and fluttering. Through the dark, I could barely make out their forms clinging to the ceiling of the icy cavern. They were like wolf-bats, but appeared to be polar versions of the ones found in the Fire Nation, for their fur coat was thicker and their coloring was lighter. They were clearly just as aggressive, though. Their teeth flashed as they hissed at me and their claws clicked against the ice as they crawled towards me on the ceiling. I bared my teeth back at them and let the fire in my palm grow larger to try to ward them off, but this only seemed to anger them. One pushed off the ceiling and flapped towards me, its fangs slashing at the flame. I blasted fire at it and heard it yelp, knowing that I had landed a solid hit. By that point, however, more of them were growing bold and they climbed over my head to surround me. They started flying at me from all directions, forcing me to keep turning and using my feet to kick fire at them in addition to punching with my fists. After a while, I couldn't keep up and they started making contact with my body, grazing me with their wings and talons. One of them crashed into me, knocking me off balance and allowing the others greater opportunity for attack. I could feel them slash at my clothes as they swooped by me, some of their claws and teeth tearing my skin as well. I continued losing ground and my muscles were tiring quickly.

I prepared to let out one last desperate blast of fire in all directions, but before I had the chance, something fluid slashed into the wolf-bat that was still clinging to my torso, knocking it off and jarring my tired body. I fell to the floor in surprise, but not before three more undulating whips of liquid shot out from the darkness and tore through the bodies of several bat creatures. They howled in protest and immediately retreated. I heard a high-pitched war cry from behind me before turning to see a blur of blue and brown leap over my prone form, wielding at least ten tentacles of the unknown substance. My stunned mind finally caught up with me and I realized that this form was human and was water-bending. Not only that, but the individual was in the process of saving my pitiful self. The person stood firm amidst the chaos with his back to me, crouched in an unfamiliar bending stance, slender fingers splayed out, expertly controlling the water whips and taking out the vicious wolf-bats quickly, one by one. In a graceful spin, the water-bender brought all of the tentacles together into one massive, twisting tube of water, then threw his arms out to the sides, sending thousands of frozen daggers in every direction except mine. The sound of ice piercing flesh reached me, as well as the yowls, hisses, and yelps of the affected wolf-bats. Before I even knew what was happening, the creatures retreated, vanishing into the darkness of the deep cave.

 **Yayyy Zuko meets Katara! Sort of. More Zutara interaction in the next chapter. Don't forget to R &R! **


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

As I slowly recovered my senses, I lit a fire in my palm again and watched the individual in blue who had just saved my life. I assumed he was a Water Tribe native, based on his clothing and the fact that he was able to control water, although I had never heard of there being water-benders in the Southern Water Tribe. He turned, muttering to himself in an oddly high tone of voice. It was then that I also realized his stature was rather small. _Of course_ , I realized, wanting to smack myself in the forehead, _He was a she…_ She continued to mumble in a language I didn't understand, walking about in a very agitated manner between the bodies of fallen polar-wolf-bats, stabbing the ones that were still alive with ice daggers of her creation, to put them out of their misery, I supposed. I desperately needed to pick up the fragments of my shattered pride somehow. I pushed myself to my feet and began to speak, stuttering, "I uh… I-I don't know if you can understand me…" I cleared my throat. This was not going well. "But ahhh, thank you. What you did, your bending, that was incredible…" I trailed off, growing perturbed that she wasn't even paying attention to me. "Hey." I said, letting the irritation show in my voice, "I'm trying to say thank you. Thank you?" I said the last part like a question, trying to get my point across despite the language barrier. Finally, her eyes snapped to mine and the intensity of her gaze made me want to take a step backward, even though she was at least five feet away from me. By the light of the flame in my palm, I could see her irises were electric blue, just like that cat from earlier. But they held such depth to them, like the ocean I had crossed to get here. Her face was angular, with high cheek bones, a pointed chin, and gracefully arched eyebrows. Her brown hair was pulled back from her face in a braid which hung all the way to her hips. Unlike my skin, which was pale as alabaster, hers was tanned with an olive undertone that completed her exotic appearance. There was no doubt that she was of the Water Tribe. I had never seen anything like her. She was beautiful. And she could not have been far from my age.

Before I could dwell on that further, she stalked towards me, pulling a tendril of water from the ground and, with a decisive flick of her wrist, snatched the fire right out of my hand. It went out with a sizzle of steam. "Don't thank," She hissed, and before my mind could comprehend that she was speaking my language, she continued, "You do not thank for this. This is sad, very sad only." She enunciated each word carefully, but with a thick accent. "Uhhh…" was the only response I could conjure. I mentally kicked myself. "All this is your fault, they did not need to die," she scolded. Finally, my mind started working again and I questioned her, confused and angered by what she was saying. " _My_ fault, they attacked _me_ …" "Your fault!" She emphasized. "All you Fire Nation are the same, you are like a babies, wandering around, don't know what to do, no regard for life." I was indignant. "Well, why save me then?" I asked. She looked at me, uncertain. I reiterated, "If you love your little snow friends so much, and you hate the Fire Nation, why not just let them kill me?" She contemplated my question, then answered, "You are a person, Fire Nation or not. And you needed help." I bristled at the word "help," but before I could protest, she added, "And I will never turn my back on people who need me." Her voice had softened and I couldn't help but enjoy the sound of it. "But you are stupid," she hissed again, making me wince, "Ignorant like a child." And without another glance, she exited the cave, leaving me more baffled than before. Knowing that she could very well be my only chance for survival, I took off after her, yelling for her to wait. "Hey! Hey, hold up a moment!" She ignored me. As I left the cave, I couldn't help but notice my surroundings. Without the storm clouds of earlier, the sky was crystal clear and the moon reflected off every fragment of glasslike ice. Some of the ice peaks in the distance seemed to glow with refracted light. The stars were unlike anything I had ever seen, since there were no fires lighting paved streets like in the Fire Nation. Her retreating footsteps drew me back and I persisted. "If I'm like a child, then maybe you should teach me." Still facing forward and walking quickly, she answered, "Fire Nation cannot learn what they cannot see." Unwilling to give up, I persisted, "Then teach me how to see." She retorted, "No one can teach you to see."

This was growing tiresome. I did not appreciate her scolding, but I needed her to survive, I had to convince her to let me come with her. This was also my opportunity to gain favor with the natives and find a way to negotiate their relocation. I still had a mission, after all. Trying to humble myself, I approached her form, saying, "Please, let me come with you…" She rounded on me, biting out, "Go back. You do not belong here." "I can't. I don't know the way, so take me with you." I said, leveling my gaze with hers, though her eyes were still so piercing it was hard to keep contact. "No," she answered, "Go back." As she spoke, something strange occurred. The sky, which before had been black as coal, began to light up with streams of color traveling across its vast expanse. Then, it exploded with brilliance, flooding with intense shades of blues, vibrant greens, and warm purples. I was overwhelmed by the sight, as was the young woman beside me. "What is it?" I whispered, in awe. Her lips parted to answer, but it was a moment before she spoke. Still looking up at the sky, she replied in a tone of reverence, "They are the Southern Lights, sent by the spirits to guide us. The spirits of our ancestors." I did not believe in spirits of ancestors, but I indulged her and asked, "What do they mean?" Finally, she looked at me, and I saw that her eyes had changed. Gone was the stern disapproval and the edge of resentment. Instead, I saw only reluctant acceptance. Though I had no comprehension of what it meant for me, I preferred this expression on her face much more. "Come," she commanded gently before starting to walk away, then sensing my hesitation, she said again more firmly, "Come." I followed dumbly, not understanding how her mind had changed so suddenly.

She led me along, walking even faster than before, and I had trouble keeping up because of my hip, as well as various injuries from my earlier encounters. Not wanting her to notice my weakness, though, I pushed through it and managed to match her pace. I carefully scrutinized my surroundings as we walked so that I could learn the terrain. I would need to know my way around this place if I was ever going to get back to the base to report to Uncle and Admiral Zhao. She directed me through a crag in an ice mountain which turned out to be a tunnel that ran all the way through it. It was deathly quiet inside, except for the tiny sounds of water dripping from the ceiling.

When we finally emerged on the other side, I was abruptly bombarded with whooping and war cries and thrust to the ground by an unknown force until I was finally able to look up and see the angry faces of at least ten members of the Water Tribe surrounding me. To my shock, they sat atop furry white creatures that were even larger than the cat-like fiend that I had escaped earlier that day. They were clearly polar-bear-dogs, as they had long snouts, dog-like ears, the front legs of a bear, but the hind limbs of a dog. I had never seen such creatures before, but had heard of them from legends about the Water Tribes. They were supposedly noble creatures, extremely intelligent and loyal. They did not seem to have any good-will towards me though, baring their teeth and growling threateningly. Before the natives or the bear-dogs could do anything further, my female guide jumped in front of me defiantly and yelled at the others in her native tongue. Though I couldn't understand any of their words, I could tell the others were indignant. I was astonished that she was coming to my defense. She had no reason that I knew of to be anything but hostile. After some intense bickering, the other natives backed off and allowed me to get to my feet. Without a word to me, the young Water Tribe woman turned and started walking again. I followed, knowing that that was what was expected of me, but I bristled as I realized the natives atop the polar-bear-dogs were following closely behind to guard me. I sighed to myself, wondering what the hell was going on and what crazy new situation I had gotten myself into.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

After a long trek through the ice and snow, I could tell the Water Tribe members were leading me straight toward their home, for up ahead was the immense peak from which the entire South Pole originated. It represented the very center of the isle of ice and it was where the native people made their home. It was also, I had to recall, where my father's treasure trove of stone was located. There lay my ultimate mission. To get the natives to move, so the company could mine the stone and thereby restore my honor. I could not lose sight of my purpose here, my destiny. As we approached, I could barely make out a crowd at the base of the great mountain. The mountain grew larger and larger as we got closer, looming over me forbiddingly. But for the natives, it must have seemed comforting and inviting, not hostile.

When we arrived at the Water Tribe village, it was like wading through a frigid ocean. There were so many blue coats and so many cold azure eyes looking straight at me. I knew I must have stood out, despite wearing clothes similar to theirs. Mounted escort aside, I had ebony hair, not brown and my skin was pale in comparison to theirs. In addition, I was the only one here that I knew of with amber eyes instead of blue. Not to mention the unmistakable burn scar that marred most of the left side of my face. I was grateful that my hair, when left down, covered my deformed ear and scarred forehead. But I was determined not to let them see any fear or insecurity, so I held my head high and made deliberate eye contact with anyone who stared. In my distracted state, however, I almost ran into the Water Tribe woman, who had come to a stop ahead of me. I faced forward once more to see an authoritative figure step toward her. He looked weathered, but still very strong. He had stripes of grey in his shoulder-length hair and fine wrinkles around his eyes. His shoulders, though, were squared and he held himself almost regally. He was more decorated than the other Tribe members, adorned with necklaces of bone and teeth, and embroidery on his blue coat and pants. This man must be the leader, I surmised. After a cursory glance at me, he greeted the woman before him in their native tongue. Though I couldn't make out a word as they talked, I could tell the conversation was not a pleasant one.

Overcome with curiosity, I couldn't help myself. I leaned towards the woman who had saved me and asked, "What's going on?"

After a judgmental glance, she answered, "My father is deciding whether or not to kill you."

I swallowed. So not only was this man the leader of the Southern Water Tribe, he was my rescuer's father. Before I could do anything else, another man stepped into the discussion. He was thinner than the chief, but the resemblance to him and the woman was unmistakable. His hair was short on the sides and the long hair on the top was tied by a piece of leather on the back of his head. His voice was loud and decisive as he spoke out in front of the crowd.

The conversation became more heated until, catching me by surprise, the leader spoke in the Fire Nation language, "In honor of Kya, I must let him speak for himself."

Addressing me, he queried, "What are you called?"

Shocked, I answered. "Zuko."

Stepping closer to me, he asked, "And what are you, Zuko?"

Not sure how to answer, but assuming he referred to my profession, I replied, "I am a warrior."

I heard a hissed mumbling from the apparent brother of the woman and son of the chief.

The chief contemplated this information, then inquired, "And why have you come to the Southern Water Tribe?"

This was a difficult question. I could not simply state my true purpose. It would cause an uproar and I would immediately be killed.

Thinking quickly, I responded, "To learn." This was a partial truth, after all. I was here to learn how to get the natives to move off the area. But the chief would hopefully interpret my answer to mean that I was here to learn their ways.

He stared me down for a long, uncomfortable moment, then stated, seemingly to me and to his people, "It is impossible to fill a cup that is already full, as Kya would say." He then looked at me, raising his chin, as if daring me to refute the proclamation.

But I did not come this far to quit so easily, so I argued, "My cup is empty. Trust me."

He contemplated my statement, then announced, "We have never met a warrior from the Fire Nation before. We must learn more about him."

Then he addressed me again, "My daughter will teach you our ways."

At that, the Water Tribe woman protested sharply in her language, but the chief shut her down quickly with a raised hand, then leveled an intense, blue-eyed gaze at me. "Learn well, Zuko."

And with that, he turned on his heal and walked away and the crowd slowly dispersed, leaving me alone with the chief's daughter, who was shooting me a glare that could've killed a saber-tooth moose-lion.

Face becoming passive once more, the woman turned her back to me and walked away, glancing back once to indicate that I was to follow. Not knowing what else to do, I dutifully trailed after her retreating back. She led me towards the base of the mountain, where I could see a small opening that was getting larger as we approached. When we arrived, it was big enough to allow me to enter without ducking. My eyes opened in amazement when I walked under the cavern mouth after her. Inside, the great mountain was hollow, like some kind of frozen volcano. But lining the walls were thousands of small entrances and there was one huge, spiraling, solid ice staircase that lead to each one. _How was this possible?_ My mind questioned. These caverns in the walls of the mountain existed all the way up the hollow peak at the very top. The chief's daughter led me to the stairs and I hesitantly stepped onto them, reluctantly trusting my weight to the ice. We walked almost half way up the mountain, slowly circling its circumference several times before arriving at one of the openings. She stepped inside and motioned for me to do the same. Inside, the icy floors and walls were covered by furs, providing insulation from the cold. There was a large pile of more furs in the right corner and a hammock hanging from the ceiling in the opposite corner, near the entrance. She abruptly lay down on the furs and pulled one of them over herself, then nodded toward the hammock to indicate that it was where I was to sleep.

I walked over to the hammock and carefully lay down in it, my mind spinning with the day's events. So much had happened in such a short time. I had been separated from my coworkers and my uncle, who was family, I had been chased and attacked by several different creatures, rescued by a Water Tribe native, brought to her home, and offered shelter and the opportunity to learn their ways. After all the trouble, I thought this might just be worth it if I could manage to learn the ticket to making them move. For supposedly, under this great ice mountain, was the treasure my father so avidly sought. Here, if I played my cards right, was my chance to regain my honor. Despite the rocky start, everything seemed to be working out in my favor. With that thought in mind, I forgot the presence of the Water Tribe woman on the other side of the room and drifted to sleep, my mind and body succumbing to exhaustion.


End file.
